Chin-rest and shoulder-pad support.



PATENT'ED APR. 16; 1907.

J. J. MORRISSEY;

, CHIN BEST AND SHOULDER PAD SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 10, 1906.

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I JOHN J. MORRISSEY, or PROVIDENCE,

RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO PHILIP H. ROSE, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

CHIN-REST AND SHOULDER-PAD SUPPQRT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 16, 1907.

Application filed May 10, 1906. Serial No. 316.158.

To alt whom it may cancer/e:

Be it known that I, JOHN J. Monnissnr, a citizen of the United States, residing at the y city of Providence, in the county of Provii dence and State of Rhode Island, have invented cert'ain new and useful Improvements in Chin-Rests and Shoulder-Pad Supports, of Which the following is a specification, referi ence being had therein to the accompanying 1 drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in i chin-rest and shoulder-padsupporting devices for violins or the like, and has for its 1 object to provide adjustable means to which i the chin-rest is attached, said means being adapted to fit any violin and may be readily connected and disconnected to and from the same.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the shoulder pad or l cushion (which is used in connection with the chin-rest in playing the violin) may be detachably held in said supporting device.

The chin-rest and shoulder-pad are often used by players of the violin, the use of which enables the performer to rest the instrument on the shoulder and rigidly support the same i by the pressure of the chin, thus giving the I hand perfect freedom to slide along the neck 1 of the instrument and finger the strings, an l is of great assistance in playing difficult music.

It is found to be of practical value to construct a device to which the chin-rest may be attached and that may be quickly connected and locked to any violin. It is also found of advantage to-connect the shoulderpad to this same device in a manner that will give sufficient rigidity and yet yield somewhat to the pressure of the chin when manipulating the arms. The cushion should also be arranged to be removed quickly there from when desired, so that the instrument may be more compactly and conveniently stowed in its case.

The invention is fully set forth in this specification and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device, showing a portion of a violin and illustrating the chin-- rest and shoulder-pad as both being connected to the supporting device, which is in 1 turn attached to the body of the violin. Fig. i

2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a [perspective view of the supporting-wire which is attached to the shoulder-pad, the outline of which pad is shown in dotted lines, the ends of said wire being turned up in the form of a fork to enter corresponding recesses or tubular portions in the said supporting device. Fig. 4 is an end view of one of the members of the supporting device, showing the ends of the tubular portions into which the forked ends of the pad-support lit and are retained. Fig. 5 is a rear view of the adjustable supporting device, showing the cam means for locking the two members from sliding apart when the device had been attached to a violin. Fig. 6 illustrates the two adjustable members in the supporting device, one sliding within the other, the outer plate and mechanism having been removed to show the rack and pinion by which the two parts are slidably operated. Fig. 7 is a central longitudinal section of the device on line 7 7 of Fig. 5, also showing the gears partly in section. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the clamping member. Fig. 9 is a detail view illustrating the connection between the shoulder-pad and its stifiening-cap.

Referring to the drawings, at 1 is a portion of a violin-body, to which the chin-rest 2 and shoulder-pad 3 are attached by means of the supporting device.

The chin-rest herein illustrated is of a new and original form which is particularly well adapted to receive the chinand side of the face. Ordinarily the chin-rest was constructed to receive the point of the chin and was comparatively small and made in a slight concaved form but it is found in practice that when-the player is performing difficult music his chin often rolls or slides over onto the tailpiece 33, cramping the same and throwing the strings out of tune. To obviate this difliculty, I have constructed a chin-rest that overlaps the said tailpiece, as illustrated at 34 in Fig. 1, and have raised a wall around that portion of the rest, as illustrated at 35 in Fig. 2, thereby rendering it impossible for the chin to get over onto the strings or tailpiece.

The supporting device is constructed of two plates, one sliding within the other. The outer or main plate 4 is provided at its upper end with a flange 5, to which is secured the chin-rest 2, preferably by means of screws through the screw-holes 6 6 through said flange 5. (See Fig. 4.) The center portion of this plate is carried slightly inward, form ing a channel throughout the length of the same, the edges being turned back upon themselves, forming a groove 7 7 on either side of the plate in which the clamping-plate 8 may slide. Secured to this channeled plate are two tubular members 9 9, running longitudinally therewith. These members are adapted to receive the forked ends of the padsupport, hereinafter more fully described.

The edges 10 10 of the clamping-plate S are adapted to slide in the said groove 7 in the main plate 4. The center portion of said clamping-plate is also carried inward, forming a channel to it into and correspond with that of the main plate 4. The center portion of this clamping member is cut out at 1 1, and one edge of the same is formed into rackteeth 12 to engage and be operated by the turning of the pinion 13. (See Fig. 6.) In the lower end of this clamping-plate is an outwardly-extending lip 14, that is adapted to engage the under side of the violin when the complete device is clamped thereon.

In order to operate the clamping member to draw it inward to grip the violin, I have provided a notched or knurled wheel 15, the edges of which extend slightly beyond the sides of the said supporting devices and which edges are adapted to be engaged by the thumb and linger to turn the same. Con- .nected to and extending inward from the cen ter of this knurled wheel is the shaft 16, to which is secured the pinion 13 and the iinetoothed locking-gear 17. This shaft has an outer bearing in the back of the plate 4 and an inner bearing in the auxiliary plate 18, that is secured in position in the channeled center portion of the device by means of screws 19 and 20. At 21 is a cam-lever pivoted at 22 to the said auxiliary plate 18 and is provided with an operating-handle 23. l/Vhen it is desired to lock the mechanism from turning, the cam-lever handle 23 is thrown into the position illustrated in Fig. 5, causing the teeth on the edge of the same to engage those of the locking-gear 17 to bind or against each other and prevent the said gear 17 from turning backward in a direction to open or release the supporting device when attached to the instrument. This locking-cam is cut away at 25 so as to clear the gear when the operating-handle 23 is thrown down into the dotted position. (Shown at 24.) This cam is held in both the engaged and disengaged positions by the pressure of the flat spring 26, that rests against a flattened face on the cam prepared to receive it. By this arrangement the device may be attached to a violin by simply placing the same in position thereon, turning the little finger-wheel 15 to draw up the clamping member, and by moving the handle 23 of the locking-cam the device is firmly fixed in position on the instrument, or, it desired, the little cam may rest against the linetoothed wheel 17 while the same is being turned to set the clamping member together, and to remove the device from the instrument requires simply to throw down the le ver 23 of the locking-cam and the device is instantly released and may be removed from the instrument.

The shoulderpad. is made in the form 01 a circular cushion 3, that is provided with a stiffened cap 27. The edge 27 oi said cap is turned over a wire 29, the body of which. is bent into substantially a circular form to extend around the cap and then project out ward with its free ends turned up at right angles from the said body portion of the wire, as illustrated in Fig. 3, said ends being still ened and supported by being bound together by means of the bridge-piece 30. The said forked ends of this pad-support are adapted to be pressed into the said two tubular portions 9 9 in the main plate of the supporting device and by their natural springy tendency are held firmly therein by friction. The two prongs oi the fork securely hold the pad against side motion.

The pad thus constructed is possessed. ol some flexibility, which is quite an essential feature in a device of this character that is held by pressure of the face while the arms are moving about rapidly.

An essential feature of this pad over the old style of pad that was screwed. direct to the instrument is that the same may be quickly connected to and removed from the support without the aid of tools, which is also true of the supporting device itself, thus rendering this means for securing both the chin-rest and the shoulder-pad to the instrument most ractical and convenient.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A chin-rest and shoulder-pad support for violins comprising a carrier provided with tubular sockets, means for clamping said. carrier to an instrument, a shoulder-pad provided with a stiil'ened cap, a padsupport comprising a ring-like wire body engaging said cap and terminating in outwardly-extended horizontal arms the ends of which are bent upwardly at right angles to form llexible lingers to enter said sockets, and a bridgepiece uniting said horizontal arms.

2. A chin-rest and shoulder-pad support for violins comprising a carrier having its side edges provided with longitudinally-arranged tubular sockets, means for clamping said carrier to an instrument, a shoulder-pad provided with a stiffened cap, a pad-support comprising a ring-like wire body engaging said cap and terminating in outwardly-extended horizontal arms the ends oi which are bent upwardly at right angles to form flexible lingers to enter said sockets, and a bridge-piece uniting said horizontal arms.

3. A chin-rest for violins comprising a carrier, a clamping member slidingly mounted therein, a rotatable shaft provided with means for adjusting said clam 3mg member, means for locking the rotatable shaft, and a chin-rest secured to said carrier.

4. A shoulder-rest for violins comprising a carrier provided with sockets, a clamping member slidingly mounted therein, a rotatable shaft provided with means for adjusting said member, means for locking said shaft, and a pad provided with flexible fingers fitting in said sockets.

5. A chin-rest and shoulder-pad support comprising a carrier, a clamping member slidingly mounted therein, means including a rack and pinion for adjusting said sliding member, means for locking said clamping member in any adjusted position, a chinrest secured to said carrier, and a shoulderpad also secured to said carrier.

6. A chin-rest and. shoulder-pzul support comprising a carrier, a clamping member slidingly mounted therein, means including a rack and pinion for adjusting said clamping member, means for locking said pinion. against movement, and a chin-rest and sl'ioulder-pad respectively secured to said carrier.

7. A chin-rest and shoulder-pad support comprising a main member, a clamping member adapted to slide in. said main member,.means including a rack and pinion. for drawing said members together, means for locking said members in the desired position when clamping a violin, a chin-rest secured to said main member, a shoulder-pad, and a I member being provided with pair of flexible fingers on said pad, said main ed to receive said fingers whereby said pad is removably held to the said supporting device.

8. A chin-rest and shoulder-pad support comprising a main member, a pair of receiving-tubes fixed to said main member, a clamping member adapted to slide in said main member, means including a rack and pinion for drawing said members together, means for preventing said pinion from turning backward, a chi. -rest secured to the upper portion of said main member, a shoulderpad and a pair of flexible fingers on said. pad adapted to enter said tubes whereby said pad is removably held to the support.

9. A chin-rest and shoulder-pad support comprising a carrier, a clamping member slidingly mounted therein, means including a rack and pinion for adjusting said clamping member, a cam-like locking member for said pinion, a chin-rest secured to the upper portion of said carrier, and a shoulder-pad secured to the lower portion of said carrier.

10. A chin-rest and shoulder-pad support comprising a carrier provided with tubular sockets, a clamping member slidingly mounted in said carrier, means inclmling a rack and pinion for adjusting said clamping member, a cam-like locking member for said pinion, a chin-rest secured to the upper portion of said carrier, and a pad provided. with flexible lingers which are sprung into said sockets.

In testimony whereof I allix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN J. MORRISSEY.

\Vitnesses HOWARD E. BARLOW, E. I. OGDEN.

recesses adapt- 

